The present invention relates to palletized systems. Such a system includes a number of pallets removably positioned on a bed, such as that of a vehicle. A forklift truck places the pallets on the bed and removes the pallets therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,926 issued to the inventor hereof discloses a latching mechanism by which each pallet is latched onto the bed automatically by the forklift truck as it positions the pallet on the bed and automatically unlatches the mechanism when it removes the pallet. The patented latching mechanism includes a bolt which is horizontally movable between latching and unlatching positions. An actuator associated with the bolt is engaged by the lift truck's fork to cause the automatic unlatching described above.
The patented latching mechanism has been effectively used for a number of years. However, the link by which the bolt is coupled to the actuator imparted a non-horizontal component to the bolt, causing the bolt to tend to bind.